Slapsgiving
Recap The episode begins with Future Ted telling his kids about a private joke he and Robin used to share while they were going out where they would salute whenever another person used a military rank before another in a sentence (an example being 'Major Payraise'), but since breaking up simply share awkward looks whenever someone does it. It's the gang's first Thanksgiving with Marshall and Lily as a married couple. Lily is obsessing over making sure it is perfect, Robin has invited her older boyfriend Bob, who is forty-one, to Thanksgiving dinner, and Marshall is terrorizing Barney in the days leading up to Barney's third slap across the face from the Slap Bet to the point where he has set up a countdown on his computer. When Robin and Ted are the only two members of the group to show up to a night of baking pies, they notice how awkward their relationship has become since they broke up; they have nothing to talk about when they are alone together, and are uneasy in each other's presence, creating a nagging feeling that they are no longer really friends. They fight, but end the night by having sex. Meanwhile, Barney begins to get upset at the notion of another slap, and Lily declares as Slap Bet Commissioner that no slap would occur on Thanksgiving much to Barney's delight and Marshall's dismay. On Thanksgiving, Robin and Lily decide that Robin and Ted need to talk about what happened and Ted, Marshall and Barney have decided they must ignore it. Robin and Ted argue again and Lily forces them to talk it out. After the two discuss how weird it is to be around each other they come to the realisation that they're not friends, and sadly agree that after the dinner they shouldn't see each other again. Later, over the dinner Bob uses the phrase 'major buzzkill', causing Ted and Robin to salute without thinking, making them realise there's still a connection between them and they can still be friends. Future Ted tells his kids that he had a great evening with his friends (and Bob), and that's why he takes them to Marshall and Lily's to spend Thanksgiving every year. Barney begins to taunt a dismayed Marshall as the countdown enters the last ten seconds. Lily warns him not to but when Barney keeps going regardless, she allows the slap to happen with only three seconds to go. Overjoyed, Marshall slaps Barney immediately sending him flying across the room before singing 'You Just Got Slapped' (a song of his own creation). Later, as everyone tidies up from the dinner Ted notes there's going to be a 'major clean-up' making everyone unknowingly salute and despair. Continuity *Lily asks that the Thanksgiving pies be made at Robin's because Marshall keeps eating them (which he attributes to his "sleep eating" disorder"). His apparently insatiable appetite was first demonstrated in when he becomes obsessed with Stuart and Claudia's wedding cake. *Marshall delivers the third of the five slaps he wins in , where he also uses the first slap. **The second slap occurs in and the fourth in , which takes place two seasons later, in Season 5, and in which Future Ted mentions that the third slap was delivered two years ago. **In , Marshall gets three more slaps and uses two immediately, leaving himself with two more slaps. **Marshall slaps Barney for a seventh time in . *Ted's new-found promiscuity, which he mentions aspiring to in (claiming to want to "get out there and have fun"), is pointed out by Robin. She adds that it resulted in him getting a butterfly tattoo, as seen in . *Marshall emails the slap countdown website to Barney in Wait For It. *Ted and Robin sleeping together here is referenced again in (Ted mentions having not had sex in five months, Marshall noting that the last time he did was Thanksgiving) and (Ted tells Stella that he and Robin had their "backslide" over Thanksgiving). *Ted and Robin are seen doing their running joke again in , , and . *Marshall's Slapsgiving song, "You Just Got Slapped", appears again in Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap, in the commercial for Lily's father's "Slap Bet" board game, and in Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra, performed by . *Lily displays her dislike of people who are not members of the gang appearing in photos of major occasions again in . Gallery Memorable Quotes Notes and Trivia Goofs and Errors *In the flashbacks of the first two slaps delivered by Marshall the first slap shown in the flashback is the slap before Marshall won the slap bet.The DVD release shows the real first slap. *When Marshall shows that they are in the final hour of the countdown there are actually 2 hours and 40 minutes left. In the DVD release it's correct. *During the rules during 'Slap Bet' Marshall says you can't wear rings when you slap, but when he slaps Barney, he is wearing his wedding ring on his left hand, the hand he slapped Barney with. *Marshall says the slap will occur at 3:01 in the afternoon; but when the countdown ends and Barney gets slapped it is nightime outside the apartment. Allusions and Outside References *When Ted goes to make pies with Robin and Bob, Robin mentions that Bob "went to see ". *Ted, commenting on how old Bob looks to him, says that Bob looks like . *Barney dresses up as from . Music *You Just Got Slapped - Marshall Eriksen *Click, Click, Click, Click - * - *Still Alright - of Other Notes Guests * - Bob *Eben Ham - Younger Bob Reception Omar G at gave the episode a B+.http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/how_i_met_your_mother/slapsgiving.php Donna Bowman of rated the episode B. http://www.avclub.com/articles/slapsgiving,12665/ Eric Goldman of gave the episode 8.5 out of 10. He describes the slap bet as one of the funniest running jokes of the series. Goldman was also impressed by how well Neil Patrick Harris took the slap, describing it as "like taking a punch from ". http://tv.ign.com/articles/836/836933p1.html put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "After winning permission to slap Barney in a bet, Marshall renames Turkey Day in 2007. Slapstick ensues, setting the stage for "Slapsgiving 2" in 2009. Did we mention it's a real knee-slapper?". References External Links * * * Category:Episodes Category:Season 3 Category:Holiday episodes Category:Slap bet episodes Category:Episodes Category:Season 3 Category:Holiday episodes Category:Slap bet episodes